Day 1– Monday 9th March 2015
Fly London to Luxor with EgyptAir and on arrival we take our private transfer to the first-class Old Winter Palace, Garden Pavilion Wing, for seven nights on room and breakfast basis.

Day 2 – New Luxor
Our tour begins with a look at all the work undertaken in recent years in the centre of Luxor, from the Avenue of Sphinx to the Mosque of Abu Haggag, to newly cleaned and restored areas in the temple of Luxor itself. This afternoon we have a guided tour of Luxor Museum to see some of the most stunning statues ever found, including that of Thutmosis III. (B)

Day 3 – Royal Tombs and Temples
We take our private motor launch across the Nile to the West Bank and on arrival head straight to the Kings’ Valley. We take the quiet road in to the more remote Western Valley to enter the Tomb of Ay. Then to the main Valley to view three tombs that are open on the day. The highlight of the morning will be the special permit that we have obtained for a private AWT visit to the tomb of Seti I, one of the best decorated tombs in the valley. We will then ascend the mountain path for the walk over the mountain of Meretsegar, ‘She who loves silence’ for the most spectacular views of the West Bank. After a relaxing lunch at the Moon Valley Restaurant we visit the village of Deir el Medina where we look at the private homes and the beautifully decorated tombs of the artisans and craftsmen who built the tombs of the great pharaohs. We have arranged a special permit to view the newly cleaned and restored tomb of Nakht Amon, sculptor in the ‘Place of Truth’ and learn about the newest discoveries at the site. (BL)

Day 4 – Dendera and Abydos
Today we head northwards to the historic site of Abydos. We explore the temple of Seti I where we find some of the finest reliefs in Egypt including, Seti I himself with Prince Ramesses making offerings to royal ancestors on the wall with the famous ‘King List’. We walk the ‘Corridor of the Bulls’ out to the intriguing Osireion, as named by Flinders Petrie, and believed to be a symbolic tomb of Osiris. Crossing the desert sands we then enter the remains of the Temple of Ramesses II where we find wonderful scenes of the Battle of Kadesh on the outer walls. Inside the temple we find some wonderful colour reliefs that have survived. After a picnic lunch we head to the Ptolemaic Temple of Dendera. The columns, walls and ceilings of this lovely temple have been cleaned and are now free of black soot for all to enjoy. (BL)

Day 5 – The Temple of Amun
A full morning at Karnak, the Precinct of Amun. We meet with a local Inspector and we will explore all the major features of the temple including the spectacular Seti war reliefs, the Sacred Lake, the Festival Hall, the vast Hypostyle Hall and the newly cleaned Khonsu Temple. We have an in depth tour with plenty of free time for photography. We also have entry to the lovely Open-Air Museum where we find many special pieces including the newly reconstructed chapels of Hatshepsut. We return to the hotel at lunch time but those who prefer can stay on for extra time at the temple and make their own way back later. (B)

Day 6 – el Tod
This morning we make the short journey to Tod. This rarely visited site was founded as a temple to the war god Montu and the origins of this temple date back to the fifth Dynasty although most of the site we see now dates from the New Kingdom. We see the remains of a quay with an avenue of sphinx, evidence of a small sacred lake and the columned hall of Ptolemy VII. We also make another unusual stop, this time at the provincial cemetery of Mo’alla. Here we enter the tomb of the Governor Ankhtify of the First Intermediate Period where we can see an account of daily life in that period carved on the walls. We return to the hotel by lunch time. (B)

Day 7 – West Bank
Again we cross the Nile to the West Bank and today we head to Kom el Hetan the vast temple of Amenhotep III that is currently undergoing extensive excavation. We will meet with Dr Hourig Sourouzian who will show us around the site and give us all the latest information on recent finds. Medinet Habu, Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III is close by and we enter the temple to see many fine and colourful reliefs. We have lunch at the Moon Valley Restaurant before we continue to Dra Abu el-Naga to enter the brightly coloured tomb-chapels of Roy and Shuroy. We also enter the newly opened tomb of Amon om Otep. Next, we head to the larger tomb-chapels of Ramose, Userhat and Khaemhat. (BL)

Day 8 – Monday 16th March 2015
After breakfast we take our private transfer to the airport for our direct EgyptAir flight to London arriving early afternoon. (B)